Attempts to get the US to commit on paper to its promise to sell Taiwan eight diesel-powered submarines have proven unsuccessful.
According to a defense department source navy repre-sentatives have visited the US twice in the past six months in an effort get a contract signed on the proposed sale.
The failed attempts to sign a contract may indicate that the sale of the submariness could be postponed. Taiwan and the US have yet to come to an agreement on several points, which is blocking any written agreement, the defense source said.
One problem is that the US -- which no longer makes diesel-powered submarines -- cannot find a country willing to provide a design for the submarines.
According to the latest issue of Defense News weekly, the US has invited qualified shipbuilders -- including state-run China Shipbuilding Corp -- to propose before next month alternative plans to build the eight subs.
"The difficulty that the US is now faced with is tremendous," the defense source said. "That's why they don't even want to sign a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan on the submarine purchase."
According to the source, the navy has asked for a memorandum of understanding, but the US was hesitant to commit itself legally to the sale. "The demand was rejected," he said.
The navy announced last week that it had reached an agreement with the US on how the fulfillment procedures for the subs were to be handled.
The announcement was unusual, as the navy and other branches of the military rarely talk openly on arms sales issues -- especially highly sensitive ones such as the submarine sale.
The navy's announcement seemed to be intended to coincide with a report on the same day by a Chinese-language newspaper. The report said the navy would take delivery of the first of the eight submarines in 2010.
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